Timing mechanism, particularly for washing or dry cleaning machines



Aug. 25, 1936. w. JEPSON 2,051,860

TIMING MECHANISM, PARTICULARLY FOR WASHING OR DRY CLEANING MACHINESFiled NOV. 28, 1931 'IIIIIIIIIIII;

filvenlvr: )1! Jepson Jl'lorneys Patented Aug. 25, 1936 UNITED STATESTIMING MECHANISM, PARTICULARLY FOR WASHING OR DRY CLEANING MACHINESWilliam Jepson, London, England Application November 28, 1931, SerialNo. 577,812

In Great Britain December 1, 1930 2 Claims.

This invention relates to timing mechanisms for machines, particularlyfor washing or dry cleaning machines, of the type in which a series ofoperations is carried out in a predetermined order according to thesetting of the machine.

In the timing mechanism according to the present invention, asupplementary control, hereafter referred to as the position-control, iscombined with the timing mechanism proper, hereafter referred to as thetime-control, so as to ensure that if, for some reason, the satisfactoryperformance or completion of any particular operation of the sequence isdelayed the operation of the time control device will be temporarilysuspended, until the said operation is completely performed, when thetime-control is allowed to come into action again, the timing beingautomatically rendered subservient to the accurate performance of theseveral operations of the sequence.

The mechanism, object of this invention, is particularly adapted to thecontrol of washing or dry cleaning and like machinery, the successfulworking of which depends on the successive operation of supply valvesand drain valves, so as to accurately control the admission and drainingof the various liquids (cold water, hot water; detergents and otherwashing reagents) in predetermined sequence and quantity, according tothe laundering or other operation-sequence formula, in accordance withwhich it is desired that the machine should operate. It will be,however, readily understood that the mechanism can be used. forcontrolling any predetermined sequence of operations of similar kind tothat just described, namely, having for its object the displacement ofany liquid or liquids, for any purpose to which the method ofposition-control herein described may be applied. Although the timingmechanism, object of the invention, is hereafter described in connectionwith the operation of a washing or dry-cleaning machine, its use istherefore not limited to the operation of such a machine, as will bemade clear hereafter.

The principle and operation will be understood by reference to thedrawing, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the present invention,and Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 22 ofFig. 1.

In Figure 1, A is the time-control device proper, and B is theposition-control. Reference character I is the record, here a perforatedband, wound on the drum 2 pivoted at a and gradually fed on the drum 3,pivoted at b, by the action of the ratchet 4 and ratchet teeth 5actuated by the linkwork 6, I, 8 pivoted at b and c. The element 8carries a roller 9 which is normally depressed by a cam ||l integralwith the rocking lever actuated by the driving shaft of the machine theoperation of which is to be controlled. The levers 5 6, and 8 arereturned to their normal position by gravity or by any other suitablemeans (not shown). At each reciprocation of the rocking lever, the camIll depresses the roller l2, thereby actuating levers 53, i l, |5whichare pivoted at d and e which lowers the lever |5 carrying sleeve l6inside of which slides the feeler H, which is pressed against the recordby the spring l8. Whenever the feeler ll engages an unperforated portionof the record it merely slides in sleeve l5 l6 against the pressure ofthe spring l8, which is adjustable by means of the screw |9. Howeverwhen a perforation of the record advances beneath the feeler, the latterpasses through the perforation in the record and strikes a projection 20on a pawl 2| pivoted at 22 to the operating lever 23, thereby depressingthe pawl 2| and causing the end ||a of the arm II to engage a notch 2 laprovided on the pawl 2|. This pawl is provided with a two-position stop2 lb pressed by 5 a spring 2|c against a two-face abutting piece 23acarried by the operating lever 23, so that it remains indifierently ineither the raised or the lowered position. On being engaged by therocking lever ll, the pawl 2| moves forward, and 30 causes the lever 23to rock forward, actuating the particular part of the machine desired tobe operated by means of the rod or Bowden wire 25, secured to it at 26,and, at the same time, pushing the roller 9 by means of its cam-likeprcjection 21, causing the ratchet to advance by several teeth, therebyfeeding the record forward so as to bring the perforation beyond theline of action of the feeler I1. As it reaches its forward position, thepawl 2| first depresses the roller 28 of the catch 29 pivoted at f,against the action of a spring 29' by means of an incline 2| d providedat the end of the pawl, the roller 28 being lifted by the spring as soonas, it is released by this incline and engaging the notch 2|e in thepawl, thereby looking it, and with its lever 23,

, which therefore remains in the operative position, at the same timemaintaining the roller 9 out of the range of action of cam IU of therocking lever I, so that the feed of the record ceases. The catch 29 iscapable of being depressed by a feeler ||b carried by the rocking arm H,which feeler, at each forward movement of the arm strikes againstthesurface of a hollow drum 30, pivoted at g, and, normally, is causedto slide back me its" housing in the as n "time.

line of action, the feeler lib penetrates in the aperture of the drumand reaches a projection 32 carried by the catch 23, depressing thelatter and causing it to release the pawl 2|, thereby allowing theoperating lever 23 to return to the inoperative position under theaction of a return spring 25'. The drum III is mounted on a sheave 33actuated by a float by means of the cord 34 After the termination of thesequence of operation, the record-is re-wound on the drum 2 by means ofthe handle 2a. In the operation, for example, of a water tap, therocking of the arm ll feeds the record forward until the firstperforation passes under the feeler I1, when the lever 23 is pushedforward, as described, and the tap is opened by the rod or wire 25, andmaintained in the open position owing to the fact that the lever 23 islocked in its forward position, so that water is entering the containerthe level of liquid in which it is required to control. As the waterrises in the container, the float rises and the drum 33 revolves, andwith it the drum 30. While this takes place, the feeler libinoperatively strikes the surface of the drum 30, but as soon as theaperture 3| comes in the proper position, which is to the right of theposition shown in the drawing and substantially over the projection 32,and which position is adjusted to correspond to the correct level of thewater in the container, the feeler penetrates into the drum 30 andreleases the lever 23, which, rocking back, either positively closes thetap or allows it to close under the action of a weight or suitablemechanism, at the same time allowing the feeding ratchet 4 to resume itsfeed action.

It will be understood that the means described herein to actuate theportion of the mechanism concerned with the position-control (namely, afloat, the position of which is governed by the level of the liquid thedisplacement of which is required) is by no means a characteristic ofthe timing mechanism according to this invention, and that it may bereplaced by any other means depending on the movement or position of anymember of the actuated mechanism, so that the timing mechanism, objectof this invention, can be applied generally to the control of apredetermined sequence of operations of any description capable ofsupplementary position-control by means actuated by a material elementvariable in position, without departing from the spirit of the inventionas described above. It is, for example, particularly suitable forautomatically stopping and restarting machines, for operating a dumpingapparatus and like applications.

Having now particularly described my invention what I' claim as new anddesire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A timing mechanism for controlling a series of predeterminedoperations to be performed by a machine comprising, a perforated member,a drive shaft, a rocking lever actuated by said shaft, an operatinglever, means actuated by said rocking lever to advance said perforatedmember, a

pawl pivotally connected to said operating lever, means controlled bysaid perforated member adapted to actuate said pawl into lockingengagement with said rocking lever and means carried by said operatinglever to affect operation of a particular part of the machine desired.

2. A-device according to claim 1 including means adapted to return saidoperating lever to its original position.

WILLIAM JEPSON.

